Conveyor belts are utilized to transport a variety of materials including coal, ore, broken rock, agricultural debris, metallurigical slurries and even wet concrete. If the efficiency and life of such conveyor belts are to be prolonged, the belts must be cleaned continuously or periodically to remove material which collects or cakes on the conveyor belt surfaces. Prior art arrangements for cleaning conveyor belts typically have involved the use of bristle brushes or scrapers which are placed in contact with the conveyor belt surface to scrape or rub the material from the belt surface. Because the cleaning mechanisms (brush or scraper) are placed in especially close contact with the conveyor belt, the cleaning operation causes wear to the conveyor belt as well as to the cleaning mechanism itself. An even more serious problem with the prior art arrangement is that the cleaning mechanisms tend to fill or "load" with the material or substance being cleaned from the conveyor belt. For example, the bristle brushes used to clean the conveyor belt will fill with the material being cleaned from the belt so that the cleaning effectiveness of the brush is considerably reduced. Scrapers similarly tend to load with the material being cleaned from a belt. Because of the "loading" and rapid wearing, the prior art cleaning mechanisms themselves must be frequently cleaned and replaced.